Bead Trends Designer Highlight April 2013

Bead Trends Designer Highlight April 2013

Marie - Noel Voyer - Cramp - On Cover Early Night Sky

It has been a whirlwind of a year.  Those that know me and have followed my blogs know that 2012 was a bitter & sweet year.  I am still grieving the loss of my mother and miss her dearly.  One of the reasons this has taken me so long to give this honor its proper attention. 

Last year was my first publication and 6 months later Tatia from Bead Trends asked me if I would be willing to hold the honor of being featured for their designer highlight for April 2013.  The answer to that one was pretty easy. 

YES

I sent her pictures and she nicely responded and said to me “Kristin you don’t need to send us pictures we like your work”  I love creative freedom in all things so I ran with that.

The first piece I made was called Beach Urchin, I love to comb beaches.  I could dig for hours on the beach.  This necklace was made with a pendant shell, Kyanite Sticks, Natural Bamboo, Fossil Shell, Swarovski and Howlite.  I thought the spikey Kyanite sticks looked like a Sea Urchin and the little Howlite beads looked like fish eggs.  This is one of my favorite of the necklaces that I made.  I buy many of my stone beads at Dakota Stones, love their high quality and interesting cuts.

I also made these earrings to match Beach Urchin.

The second necklace I made I called Oceans Oracle.  I like to play with weights in necklaces, unexpected.  I did question this one as the weightiness of one side is a little stronger than the other.  This was made with a Madagascar Ammonite.  It is lovely with it’s pinks and mossy greens.  I paired it with some chunky Czech Glass, Rhodochrosonite,  Canadian Jade, Rose Quartz, Lampwork and Seed Beads.  This one was all tied with waxed linen.  Stones were once again from Dakota Stones.  I also made earrings to match.  I am a bit simplistic in my earring designs and that is mostly because I love - love  - love to make necklaces.

The third necklace I made I called Beatnik Baby.  I like to think of these necklaces as my Earthy Urban Chic line.  I love assymetry and again playing with the chunky weightiness of the beads.  I love the Faux Beach Glass from my friend Jeff Plath from TF Bead Store.  I am in love with Greek Mykonos, everything.  I use these donuts in many of my designs.  Also paired with some Fire Agate and wood beads.

Dream Weaver was really fun to make.  I bought the patina’d link from Stacy Klinginger Smith.  I really just started to play with it and started to randomly wrap the Waxed linen and went from their.  This bracelet is reminiscent of a dream catcher.  It is double strand with 2 lobster claws to attach to the ring on either side.  I paired this with ceramic, Chrysoprase, Yellow Jasper, Swarovski, Fossil Shell, Lampwork and Honey Flourite.

Loves Entwine was born out of frustration really.  I wanted to do this prong challenge that the Artisan Whimsey Group was having and I didn’t have the supplies.  The question in my mind was how could I cage a bead with out knowing how to solder etc.  I just happened to grab this mesh and a Basalt heart and started to play.  When I realized this would work I ripped it apart and started with a plan.  The tying and macrame is what is holding the heart to the mesh.  I have since used this technique to do this with other beads.

The last necklace called Mindspring was made with a lovely pendant from Angel Whisperer on Etsy.  I bought this long skeleton key at the Junk Bonanza, I randomly wrapped it with Swarovski crystals to attatch it to the pendant.  Tied it with some of my favorite beads and colors.  I think you are beginning to see a theme in my color choices.  I do love watery colors.  
The patina’d clasp was made by Melinda Orr.

Some of my other favorite designs were from - See Below

Cherrie Fick -  Rushing Spring River

Jean Wells -  Little Bird In A Big Pond

Suzette Bentley - Chocolate

I have a ton of personal friends in this issue that I met on Facebook and to many to credit here.  

I feel privilege to be amongst such talent!

Thank you Bead Trends!

2012 In Review

2012 A Year In Review

I am not sure why such and an amazing  year is also so riddled with such pain.  2012 has been one of my most difficult years and one of my most amazing years. It has been both bitter and sweet.

In 2012 my mother was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and it was also the year I received word that my jewelry would be published for the first time.  It was also the year my mother died and the year Bead Trends asked me to be their artist spotlight for April 2013.

Here I am with my sisters.  I am the middle girl.  One of our favorite pictures of us girls and our mother.  She handmade all of these lovely flowered dresses.  So you can see where some of my creativity came from.

My mother is wearing a necklace I made her in my early jewelry making days.  She was always so proud to wear it even though I kind of cringe looking at it today.  She loved it  and wore it with love. I am wearing the necklace that was to be my first publication.  I didn’t know it at the time.

This picture was taken during my mothers 

“Celebration of Life”  

party that me and my husband Tom threw for her and her siblings.

You see we knew that my mom wouldn’t survive the cancer.  She was full of tumors from the onset.  We also knew at this point that we only had about 6 months left with her.  I was grateful that I had these publications to look forward to during this most difficult time of my life.  Even though it was hard to fully appreciate them.

You see my first 2 necklaces that have been published in the above photo. My mother did not get to see these but I showed them to her and talked to her like she was sitting next to me and I can see her proud face on my mind.

We kept our mother at home as she was dying.  Me and my sisters took turns helping my dad care for her.  I am grateful to have had the time that I had with her to say our slow goodbyes.

I truly believe today that my mother is my biggest cheerleader even if it is from heaven.  

I made this necklace with thoughts of her and by far it is my favorite.  It was published in November Bead Trends 2012 and was called 

“Love is Seasonless”

As written in Bead Trends.

“Love is Seasonless is a reflection of my mother’s love, and I designed it with her in mind as she was dying of cancer.  She loved me at my worst; I was a difficult and troubled teenager and she fought for me when I didn’t know how to myself.  She loved me at my best when I decided to change my life, and she was my biggest cheerleader.  The heart is made out of basalt from the shores of Lake Superior which was one of our vacations spots as children.  Basalt is derived from the Latin word basaltes which means “very hard stone.”  I picked it to represent the strength of my mothers love that supported me during difficult times in my life.  My mother’s favorite color was green and it always reminds me of new beginnings in my life; her love was seasonless and constant.....Kristin

Today I like to think of my mom as happy, loved by her family and unburdened by the stress of this world.  Light and carefree as a butterfly.  I know she is smiling down at me from heaven and that gives me comfort.

My First Jewelry Publication

My First Jewelry Publication

Bead Trends September 2012

Sailboat At Sunset

 Red Creek Jasper Necklace

designed for the inspired by catagory.

My mother was just diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and we were told she had 6 months to live.  It wasn't a happy time for me. This was one of the highlights in my life during that time.

 I sent a necklace to Bead Trends to see IF I COULD GET PUBLISHED, honestly no real thoughts at all that I would be accepted. A few weeks after my mothers diagnosis I got my email saying that my necklace was accepted.  I can't begin to tell you the elation I felt.

I will always feel that I am an underdog in the jewelry designing world mostly because I have so much to learn.  That is what I love about jewelry design it is everchanging and evolving.  I have been making jewelry for almost 10 years and have yet to get bored.

You can find my designs at

YaY! Jewelry on Etsy

I am also on Facebook

YaY! Jewelry on Facebook